Hamamelis virginiana

Common Name(s):

Common witch hazel, Witch hazel

Categories:

Native Plants, Shrubs, Trees

Comment:

Hamamelis virginiana, known as common witch hazel, is a fall-blooming, deciduous shrub or small tree that is native to woodlands, forest margins and stream banks in eastern North America. It typically grows 15-20’ tall with a similar spread in cultivation, but can reach 30’ tall in its native habitat. Its bark is smooth and gray to gray-brown.

Witch hazel has crooked, usually multi-trunked with low branching. This variety is the most cold hardy of all witch hazels. Its roots are sensitive to disturbance; It is one of the latest shrubs to bloom, often in November. It is resistant to erosion and performs well in clay soils.

Regions: Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plains

Seasons of Interest:

Leaf: Fall Blooms: Fall, winter Nut/Fruit/Seed: Fall

Wildlife Value: This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer. Wild turkeys eat the seeds of this plant. White-tailed deer browse the leaves.

Play Value: Wildlife Enhancement

Seed: Capsule

Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Occasional insect galls (small wasps) appear on the foliage. Japanese beetles may chew on the leaves in some areas.

Height:

15-20 ft.

Flower:

The Witch hazel has stem-hugging clusters of fragrant bright yellow flowers, each with four crinkly, ribbon-shaped petals, that appear along the branches from October to December, usually after leaf drop but sometimes at the time of fall color. Its fertilized flowers will form fruit over a long period extending through winter and into the following growing season. The fruits are greenish seed capsules that become woody with age and mature to light brown. Each seed capsule splits open in fall of the following year, exploding the 1-2 black seeds within for up to 30 feet.

Zones:

3-8

Habit:

Deciduous shrub

Site:

The Witch hazel is best grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. It prefers moist, acidic, organically rich soils in part shade. It may be grown as a large, multi-stemmed shrub or trained as single trunk tree.